Efforts underway to avoid repeating Mayo housing mistakes

WHEN it comes to developing housing estates into the future, lessons have to be learned from past mistakes.

That was the message today's meeting of Ballina Municipal District, where members were presented with an update on the taking in charge of local housing estates by Mayo County Council.

The report by Michael Livings, acting executive engineer, revealed that of the 186 estates within Ballina MD, 55 have not been taken in charge by the council. In the case of 35 of those 55 estates, the developers have not made an application for taking in charge.

It was confirmed too that the 'easier' estates have been taken in charge already and the vast majority of those not in charge present significant challenges, with no real resources – in terms of money or staff – to tackle the problems.

Suggestions from councillors included diverting local property tax income to the issue or pressing for central government funding so that the matter can be tackled on a nationwide basis.

Meanwhile, Councillor Gerry Ginty said one way to ensure estates are finished is to introduce a law whereby a small portion of the price of the house is retained by the purchaser's solicitor until such time as the estate is fully finished. “If you do that, you will not be going through the rigmarole we're going through here,” he claimed.

By way of explanation of his proposal, he added: “What I'm looking for is that future generations will not have burdens placed on them as householders because of mistakes made in the past. We need to learn from the mistakes of the past. Prevention would be an awful lot better than cure.”

Councillor Neil Cruise said this report is in front of the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy, along with a proposal to undertake a pilot scheme in Foxford.

“Hopefully the minister will come up with a response and if it's successful in Foxford it will permeate out to the rest of Ballina Municipal District,” he said.

Given the costs involved with taking estates in charge, it would be appropriate to deal with the issue at a full meeting of Mayo County Council and ask the council to seek central government funding, said Councillor Michael Smyth, cathaoirleach of Ballina MD. “We'll take it from here to the legal authority and the executive (of the council) and see where we go from there.”